The Science of Silence
by SixpenceVI
Summary: Ellis likes to talk about Keith. Nick knows he shouldn't care, but sometimes, he just wants to shut that goddamned kid up. Oneshot, NickxEllis.


When the Infection had first struck American soil, CEDA had constructed a series of hastily-built, solid-walled safe houses within the cities to act as bunkers for the unaffected. As the Infection had spread, others had taken up the idea- constructing them in their own houses, or building makeshift ones as far out as rural towns or countryside as overnight shelters as they made their escapes away from the danger of the overpopulated city.

For Coach and the others that he'd taken under his wing, this network of safe houses had been more than just a blessing. They didn't just give them safe shelter whilst they were passing through rougher terrains, but within the cities they travelled through, they were often within safe distance of deserted stores and gas stations- providing them with a reliable bolt hole whilst they scavenged fresh supplies. That was this evening's agenda- Rochelle had run flat out of bullets earlier that day, and after a day of relying on a salvaged crowbar for protection she'd quite firmly assured them that either she was going to find fresh bullet clips, or they were all going to suffer the wrath of a woman with only a close-range weapon and no shower in sight. The evening was still young, and whilst the falling dusk provided enough cover for them to go relatively unseen, there was still enough light for them to see by.

Needless to say, the decision had been unanimous to head out on a scavenging expedition, and whilst Coach accompanied her for safety, Nick and Ellis had been left behind at the safe house to salvage what they could out of what the room's previous occupants had left behind. It had been the most practical decision- Coach had the best sense of direction, and the two other men could at least be trusted not to tear each others' throats out whilst they were left together.

That wasn't to say that it was a comfortable atmosphere between them, however. Since they'd first met, it had proven to be a questionable association- Ellis was, to all intensive purposes, so easy going that he'd get on with everyone, but his endless optimism and constantly-running mouth wasn't the kind of thing that settled well with the smart-talking conman. In fact, it had that unbearable habit of running him up the wrong way, and since Coach had left them he'd been trying his damned best to block the sound of the kid's voice out of his mind.

"…so anyway, took Keith six months 'fore I could break him outta hospital without him dyin' on me," Ellis was partway through saying, when Nick finally tuned him back in again. Keith. It was always about Keith- some kid he'd never even met before. Weren't _they_ the ones currently protecting each others' asses? Made sense that Ellis would be the only one oblivious enough to not appreciate that and keep yammerin' on about someone no one cared about. "Soon as he was out, though, we fixed that ol' Delta right back up again', an' hell- did she go! 'Course, we didn't think t'fix the windscreen, so ended up goin' right through the garage wall…"

"Do you ever shut up, kid?" Nick's voice was tired- they were all tired. It was hard enough to catch some sleep with Infected rattling the safe house doors without Ellis being so goddamned noisy.

Ellis had stopped mid-sentence, a mix of hurt and surprise on his face. He'd given up on helping with the supplies pretty quickly, and had sat himself on the top of a table- his scuffed shoes tapping lightly on the table legs. "Hell, I'm just _sayin'_," he objected, as though Nick really was missing the point of his story. "It ain't that good an idea to drive before you really passed your test. I mean, you'd think that's common sense, but y'don't really _know_ until you tried, right?"

"Uhuh." Seeming as Ellis had abandoned his duties, Nick couldn't really be assed either, and he leant back against the opposite wall, popping a cigarette from a box and taking a moment to light it. Rochelle better remember to get him a fresh pack, or he was gonna be damned pissed until they found another stop-off point.

Ellis shifted slightly, moving his weight from one hand to another, in that way that always reminded Nick of an eager puppy- his face turned up to the ceiling thoughtfully. "Y'know- this one time, me an' Keith..."

He took a long drag on the cigarette, blowing smoke out from between his teeth. "What is it with you and Keith? You two butt buddies or something?" There was that flare of jealousy over that kid again, and the words came out sharper than he intended- but somehow, he didn't regret them.

For a moment, Ellis' gaze came down again, meeting Nick's, and he closed his mouth- something about the sudden silence and the awkward way that his expression changed speaking louder than if he'd actually confirmed it himself.

"…Well, shit." Nick's eyes narrowed slightly, and he took a long draw on his cigarette. Somehow, it didn't make him feel any better- only somewhat more jealous that Keith was all the kid talked about.

"I mean, it was _once_," Ellis objected weakly, after some moments, as though he felt it necessary to defend himself. "An' we coulda drunk enough beer t'sink a boat. Ma said she ain't never seen me so hungover when I went over for lunch the next day..."

Nick gave him a steady look, and drew in a deep, steady lungful of smoke.

As the silence fell again, Ellis found himself wishing that Rochelle and Coach would just hurry up and _return_, 'cause _goddamn_ this was awkward and he never really knew just what to say around the man. "Y'know, that really ain't good for you," he said eventually, if just to break the silence and change the subject to something that _wasn't_ about him and Keith. Since when had he _not_ wanted to talk about Keith? The thought made him uneasy, and he could only blame it on Nick. Damned Nick. All he did was make things difficult.

Leaning back against the wall, Nick gave him one of those slow, unreadable looks, and blew out a pointed lungful of smoke- that steady smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "What're you gonna do about it, Overalls?" He challenged, the barest hint of a purr in the back of his throat. Goddamnit, was he _flirting_ with him? Since when was the boy anything but an unnecessary pain in the ass? But that quiet, jealous lump in his stomach was saying that really, there wasn't any harm in it, 'cause the kid looked so damned pleased with himself half the time that he was just asking to be brought down a notch, and then his brain was saying that it was worth it just to make him blush and scowl and look away like he didn't know what to say, so really, it was a win-win situation just so long as it shut Ellis up.

Either the suggestion went straight over the younger man's head, or he was damned good at hiding his surprise, because Ellis simply leant back on his hands, grinning in that infuriatingly easy way of his. "I ain't thought that far ahead yet. Y'know, my ma used t'smoke, an' she told me that the best way to quit is just to keep yourself busy with other things. She used t'chew gum, too- chewin' gum, y'know? Helps you ignore the urge."

Later that evening, Nick wouldn't be able to explain just what happened then. Only somehow, keeping his mouth busy with something else was suddenly incredibly appealing and he was suddenly right _there_, his mouth closing over Ellis', hands either side of his shoulders and pinning the mechanic back against the wall. Ellis had made a trapped, surprised noise against Nick's lips and at first he fought it, his fists balling in the front of the man's suit, but soon he was kissing him back, succumbing to the man's bullying. Giving as good as he got, suddenly all the tension of being caught up in the Infection was boiling over and he was arching up against Nick's hands, the taste of tobacco thick and unpleasant but the taste of _Nick_ beneath that good enough to make up for it.

And just when he had Ellis moaning a soft, breathless curse against his skin did he pull back, looking incredibly pleased at the boy's sudden submission. "Well, isn't that interesting," he said, with that infuriatingly smug smile of his, as he lifted the cigarette back to his mouth, turning away. "I actually got you to shut up for once."

Behind him, the legs of the table scraped slightly on the concrete floor, and Ellis' fingers suddenly closed in the back of Nick's shirt- yanking him back and shoving him against the wall, his lips hot and demanding as they closed themselves over Nick's. "How 'bout you try harder, yank?" He growled, his fingers finding the cigarette and throwing it to one side.

Between Ellis and the hard, cold wall, Nick resisted the urge to smile and secretly hoped Rochelle and Coach wouldn't be back for a good, long while.


End file.
